Sunday letters: Why not keep Common Core?

So the rewrite of the Common Core standards isn’t going well? Imagine that. Standards written over several years by master teachers and other subject area experts selected from across the country are better than those written over the past year in South Carolina. And we’ve only had state review panels examine our rewritten standards so far. Wait until Fordham and other national reviews come in.

I worked on teams writing S.C. standards between 1989 and 2006. Most of us thought it was ridiculous to be doing this state by state because, while instruction should be personalized for individual students, the knowledge and skills required should be the same for the grade or subject — regardless of geography. Yes, Virginia, algebra standards for California should be the same as those for South Carolina.

I have an idea for the Department of Education. Throw out the revised sets and go back to the Common Core standards. Keep the Common Core organization (to prevent gaps and maintain comprehensiveness), but revise the few standards that seem to be causing problems. Voila: a re-write that everyone can live with.

Patricia Mohr

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